Meet The Writer Interview: Erik Hofstatter

November 10, 2014

November 10, 2014

Erik Hofstatter is a dark fiction writer, who dwells in a beauteous and serenading Garden of England, where he can be frequently encountered consuming reckless amounts of mead and tyrannizing local peasantry. At a young age, he built a Viking longship and journeyed myriad sea miles away from native land in search of plunder and pillage. His work appeared in various magazines and anthologies around the world such as The Literary Hatchet, Schlock, Inner Sins, Sanitarium and Psychopomp.

What first attracted you to horror writing?

Probably that magical moment in my childhood, when father allowed me to watch Child’s Play and I pissed the bed as Chucky suddenly came to life. I was six years old. Thanks, Dad. Unimaginable horror began to unravel in my puerile mind after that and the only salvation was to vent it on paper.

What is your most notable work?

Moribund Tales (collected work of short dark fiction) was published last Halloween and was positively received by both readers and critics, surging into Amazon’s Top 10 best-selling horror anthologies chart in UK, USA and Canada.

What are you working on now?

My debut novella, The Pariahs. The manuscript is currently undergoing some last minute editorial changes. I’m aiming for another Halloween release (I have a theme going on there, see?)

How much planning and research do you undertake before writing?

That depends on the complexity of the story.

Describe your writing routine.

It usually involves a bottle of imported black rum…I don’t remember the rest.

Who do you admire in the horror world?

The queen of Nosferatu, Anne Rice, but also Clive Barker and his unique mind.

Do you prefer all out gore or psychological chills?

Psychological chills without doubt. Gore bores me.

Why should people read your work?

Erm, because I’ve got bills to pay? Jest aside, my prose is old fashioned and often compared to names like Poe, Shelley and Stoker so anyone interested in classic Gothic literature of the 19th century should enjoy perusing my work too.

Recommend a book.

I recently had the pleasure of dipping into Water For Drowning by Ray Cluley. When This Is Horror announced the release of this astounding chapbook, I read the synopsis and was immediately intrigued by the concept of interweaving mermaids with the element of horror. When investing in books, I tend to look for plots that sound rare or slightly different from the usual drivel, and I’m glad to say that Water For Drowning did not disappoint. The main character, Josh, is obnoxious and not always easy to identify with but I still found his narrative extremely amusing! His love (well, fuck) interest, Genna, is a deeply troubled girl with a mermaid obsession and without giving too much away, let’s just say that the water gets murkier as the story goes on. Give this one a read, folks!

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